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National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week starts this week

With all the talk about health and healthcare in the news today, one thing that should not be forgotten is the importance of clinical laboratories and the people who run them.

This week is National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week (NMLPW). A time for the people who work in clinical labs to be recognized for all their work, along with showing just how important these behind-the-scenes heroes are to diagnosing and treating patients.

The 2015 report titled “Improving Diagnosis in Healthcare[1]” explained that most Americans will experience a missed or delayed diagnosis in their lifetime calling for greater inter-professional and intra-professional teamwork as one strategic pathway to improved diagnosis.

According to Douglas Beigel, CEO of COLA, laboratorians are essential members of patient care teams and can offer invaluable expertise related to test results during the diagnosis process and throughout treatment.

In the provided video, COLA highlights how medical labs handle about 13 billion test samples a year. The video also mentions the importance of how taking steps to carefully follow standards and procedures can insure reliable and accurate samples providing consistently valid results.

“There are over 300 thousand folks who are laboratory professionals that work diligently on making sure the quality of lab testing is at the highest of standards. I am so proud and honored to work with our team to improve laboratory medicine and patient care,” Beigel said.

NMLPW originated in 1975 as National Medical Laboratory Week, under the auspices of the American Society for Medical Technology, now called the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science.

About COLA

COLA accredits nearly 8,000 medical laboratories and provides the clinical laboratory with a program of education, consultation, and accreditation. The organization is an independent, non-profit accreditor whose education program and standards enable clinical laboratories and staff to meet U.S. CLIA and other regulatory requirements. COLA is recognized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as a deemed accrediting organization. COLA’s program is endorsed by the American Medical Association (AMA), the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), the American College of Physicians (ACP), and is also recognized by The Joint Commission. For more information about COLA accreditation services and educational products, and online educational opportunities, please call 800-981-9883 or visit COLA’s web site at www.cola.org.

Lab Testing Matters because…

I have worked in healthcare as a C.L.S. for twenty years , some of that time in a large hospital and some of it spent in small rural hospital . The realization of how integral every department is connected to another is vital . it should function as one unit . However most important , treat every patient as if they were your family after all they are.

Simply stated, I want my laboratory test results to be the best quality possible. This will enable my physician to diagnose and treat me so that I get the best possible outcome. Shouldn’t we all have this expectation?

In addition to all of the insightful reasons already stated, lab testing matters because the results obtained are often instrumental in furthering medical research toward more effective prevention, treatment and cures for diseases, and metabolic disorders.